The Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement (BIDANI) program of the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food (IHNF), College of Human Ecology (CHE) has wrapped up the first season of its streamcast program, BIDANI VirCons: Virtual Conversations on Nutrition.
BIDANI VirCons, which was first launched on 21 May 2020, served as a platform for nutrition education, information, communication, and extension during the COVID-19 pandemic and community quarantine. The program aimed to reach out to the current and partner municipalities and barangays of BIDANI, partner state universities and colleges (SUCs) of the BIDANI Network Program, and fellow UPLB constituents.
The premiere episode on 21 May focused on making healthy and nutritious food for the family during the community quarantine. Chef Ian Ebron, assistant professor of IHNF, shared tips on how to make nutritious viands from relief packs, among other tips on maintaining healthy food consumption during the pandemic.
How the province of Laguna is faring in terms of nutrition-in-emergencies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, was discussed on the second episode on 04 June. Ms. Teresita Ramos, Laguna Provincial Nutrition Action Officer, also shed light on how the province implements Executive Order 51, or the Milk Code, particularly on the prohibition of infant milk formula donations.
Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in the time of the pandemic was tackled in the third episode aired on 11 June, with aProf. Aiza Kris Bernardo of IHNF. In this episode, it was revealed that according to studies, the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risks of COVID-19 for children. aProf. Bernardo also discussed important pointers in maintaining the nutrition of babies 0-6 months old and children 6-23 months old. The fourth episode on 18 June, meanwhile, was a recap of the previous three episodes.
The Barangay Management Information System (BMIS), one of the innovative strategies of BIDANI, was put into the spotlight in the fifth episode of BIDANI VirCons, which aired on 25 June. Hon. Filipina Grace America, Municipal Mayor of Infanta, Quezon, and Engr. Edrian Patrick Postrero, City Planning and Development Coordinator of Baybay City, Leyte, discussed how they used BMIS in planning for their COVID-19 response. They also discussed how their BMIS enabled them to quickly assess target beneficiaries of various national government programs in response to the pandemic, such as the Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
Dr. Aser Javier, a former professor at the College of Public Affairs and Development (CPAf) and an international consultant on governance, provided his reaction on the information shared by Mayor America and Engr. Postrero. He noted how the two local governments targeted the beneficiaries of their COVID-19 response programs, how flexible their BMIS is towards developing their programs, and the participatory nature of their governance.
A special webinar episode was held on 02 July, which also served as an opening activity of BIDANI and IHNF in the celebration of the 46th Nutrition Month, with the theme “Batang Pinoy, Sana Tall… Iwas Stunting, Sama All! Iwas All Din Sa COVID-19!” Ms. Lourdes Orongan, nutrition officer of National Nutrition Council CALABARZON, discussed stunting, which was the focus of this year’s Nutrition Month theme. Ms. Natividad Vito, nutrition program coordinator of the Laguna Provincial Health Office, discussed the proper use of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and ready-to-use supplemental food (RUSF) during the time of pandemic.
274 participants pre-registered for the webinar. The participants came from various regions in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including CALABARZON and NCR. Most participants are registered nutritionist-dietitians and community health and workers, such as Barangay Nutrition Scholars and Barangay Health Workers.
The seventh episode paid a virtual visit to the municipalities of Nagcarlan and Magdalena, Laguna, two of the partner municipal governments of BIDANI in Laguna, to check on their COVID-19 nutrition response. Ms. Jenny Bituin and Mr. Leonard Togado, the Municipal Nutrition Action Officers (MNAOs) of Nagcarlan and Magdalena, respectively, revealed how their local governments are integrating nutrition into their COVID-19 response, such as in the distribution of relief packs. They also tackled how they are observing EO 51 and how they will celebrate the Nutrition Month while the province is in community quarantine.
Food and nutrition security in the home for the new normal was the focus of the eighth and final episode of BIDANI VirCons. Dr. Agustin Molina, a retired professor, and an international consultant on agriculture, shared his experience and expertise in home food gardening. He also gave viewers a virtual tour of his home food garden, where he planted saluyot, eggplant, katuray, sili, malunggay, and squash, among many others. He also shared some practical tips on how to start a home food garden.
Cumulatively, the first season of BIDANI VirCons had a total of 10,452 views and 31,415 posts reach as of 27 July 2020.
– Guien Eidrefson Garma